Read a Charming Story that will brighten your day.

You must read this blog oldest post to newest, so start from the bottom and work your way up. Meet Merriam and learn how she stumbles from a life of boredom into a creative whirlwind of fun and excitement. You will join her journey of the creative process and how it enriches her life.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

It was getting late in the summer, and in the warm shade of Merriam's back yard she and Daniel took a break from their hard days labor. "I'm going to be starting school soon." Daniel said drawing her out of the usual day and into the mind and concerns of his six year old existence. "Well that will be exciting don't you think?" He ran his fingers through the grass and moved the patterns of its grain from side to side. Then he would gently pull out one blade and twist it between his fingers. "I'm not sure. It's my first time. I hope it will be fun." Merriam recognized a sense of worry coming from Daniel and she did not know what to say. This whole situation was foreign enough without having to be a responsible adult that had god advice for a child, that was worried about starting school. "Merriam,-did you like school when you started?" Daniel said. "Hmm let me think a minute. That was a long time ago and I haven't thought of it in...in...I don't know about a million years or so." Daniel gave her his scowl that he used when he thought grown ups were being a bit shifty. "If you can't remember it, it must-a been no fun at all." Merriam thought a moment and then decided to be honest "yes that's about right, school wasn't any fun for me.... But I am almost positive that things are going to be different for you." She felt like this was the right answer but watched to see if she had given him any relief to his concern. "Why do you think it will be good for me?" He said still probing for more reassurance. "It is going to be easy for you because you... are a great friend maker. I never was, or have been. You may be the first friend I have ever had, and you are very easy to like and, like you said before you are an awful lot of fun to play with." Daniels face relaxed. "Yeah that's true I am allot of fun." He smiled and perked up then continued grooming the lawn between his fingers. "Merriam?" he said in a way to draw her attention once again to an oncoming question. "Yes" she replied in voice that conveyed a willingness to indulge all of his thoughts. " What are you going to do when the weather gets bad? I mean with all your children. What if it rains a lot or snows! What are you going to do then?" She looked at him surprised at his concern and of the fact that she hadn't thought if this herself. "Honestly it hasn't even crossed my mind until now. I guess that is why your here. To keep me on task. Well I suppose I better start thinking of something, right?" Daniel looked thoughtful as if he was already referencing his data base for information on what do do with all your clay figurines when winter is on the way. They both sat quietly and thought about what they would do to protect Merriam's little people after the summer had gone. "You could take them all inside?" he said. "Yes I suppose we could." She responded in voice that was not in the key of conviction. And after just a moments more contemplation Merriam had a cathartic revelation. "Or we could bring the inside out to them...." This time Daniels expression read as "you have absolutely cracked" but as Merriam explained her idea to him his look changed from " you have cracked " to "Merriam you are a genius." The plan she unraveled to him was one of intricacy and lofty ideas. This plan included building habitats and whole cities to fit the little creatures and each of their personalities. It included neighborhoods and environments, lighting, streets, and of course the feeling of magic. As each detail unraveled Daniel became increasingly exited. "When can we start?!" He asked this like he had just eaten a bag of licorice whips and washed them down with cola. "As soon as I can get it planned out. We want it to be nice, not a haphazard mess. Let me draw out some plans and then we can talk about getting started."

Sunday, February 28, 2010

As time passed Merriam continued to create and Daniel continued to come over to play with Merriam and her children. Most days he would drop by unannounced especially when he saw Merriam doing her "yard work". He would come and help her with all of her chores and let me tell you "Daniel was a natural at doing "yard work." He would move around with Merriam in her unorthodox dances and help in placing all of the children. It was like watching a zen student following the lead of their master. Being very sensitive to Merriam's preferences and knowing just how to place and arrange each figure. His contribution to the conversations that carried on with the little creatures was dynamic and exciting. And right in sync with her, he doted on Pengulosh and sang and danced with them celebrating what they had accomplished and done together.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Thanks to all of you creative people that have given me permission to show off your handmade items. There are so many creative folks out there that deserve to be seen. Thank you again. My next story segment will be up and ready to read in the next couple of days so keep your eyes peeled.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Merriam showed Daniel all of her children. He was respectful of her wishes to be careful. He asked her many questions and she answered with delightful stories. Daniel stayed for just over an hour and by the time he left Merriam felt a pang of regret and deep inside she wished that this unwelcome guest might stay a little longer

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Daniel could see he had won and seized the opportunity to further gain on his advance. “ So- You think I could play with your children? I’m an awful lot of fun!” Merriam thought this over for a moment and came up with a scenario that she agreed with. She played it over in her mind: She would meet the parents first, and get to know Daniel over the fence from a distance at first, and if after all of this she felt comfortable with these new people she might invite them over and Daniel could see her children. She liked this and was comforted by the way it played through her mind. “Some time that might be alright.” Daniel’s face brightened up and he immediately disappeared from between the trees. She could hear the rattling of the chain link fence that separated the yards and then the chain being lifted from her backyard gate. Daniel came running from the side of her garage and onto the lawn. “ Climbed the fence! I’m a good climber.” Merriam’s plans were being toyed with. This was not in any of the scenario she had just become comfortable with. “ I am not sure your parent’s would like you just going into people’s yards you do not know. They will probably be wondering where you are?” She was abrupt and sure sounding in her speech believing she even sounded a bit stern. “ Nah their in the driveway unloading stuff. They know I’m OK.” Merriam came back trying to sound even more stern than before. “ No! I don’t believe your parents would be happy about this! We will have to do it some other time.” Merriam was sure she had stopped this unexpected visit in it’s tracks. “Alright.” Daniel said and happily and ran off towards the gate. She heard the gate open again as he left. She had won and was relieved. “ MOM! --MOM!” “What Daniel?” “I’m playing next door.” “ OK sweetie don’t stay to long.” “K mom!” Merriam heard this exchange and knew she had company, unplanned, unexpected company and once she accepted it, it felt OK.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

The con wasn’t full proof enough for Daniel. Now Merriam took her turn and scrunched her nose and squinted her eyes and looked at Daniel through the darkened lenses of her spectacles. Now she felt like she was the one being duped. “ Do your parents know where you are?” She thought this might detour his attention long enough for her to get the upper hand in this conversation. “ Ya I told em I would be playing outside.” “ Well I am a stranger you know? Children aren’t supposed to talk to strangers.” Oh- this sounded mature and sensible. Merriam had gained the upper hand and waited for Daniel to relent and disappear back into his yard. This thought was deflated as quickly as it had begun. “Everybody! Not just children. My parents say “ your not supposed to talk to strangers” not “ kids are not supposed to talk to strangers” that means everyone. This is something I don’t quite get, cause if no one can talk to each other how can you ever make friends?” This kid was smart and Merriam was impressed with his logic, not to mention she had no come back for this statement it was undeniable, and more true than anything she had heard in a while.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

They stopped talking for a moment to have an interlude of uncomfortable silence. After the silence had reached its peak Daniel spoke to break it. “Hey where did ya get all those toys?” Merriam looked around to see what it was that he was talking about. It took a moment to realize that he meant her clay creations. “ Oh yes toys… These are not toys. They are…. They are….” She wasn’t quite sure what category they fell into but it was not toys, so she said the first thing that came to mind. “These- are my children.” Daniel crinkled his nose and squinted his eyes at Merriam showing her that he was suspicious of this answer and that he was privy to her con. His face suddenly brightened up and he came back with the force of a six year old boy. “Well maybe- I could come play with your kids then?”

Friday, February 12, 2010

One day as she was going about her business and doing a song and dance with Pengulosh she was suddenly interrupted. “Hey!” She halted in mid step feeling like a burglar cought halfway through a window. “Hey-Merriam!” She looked around not knowing where the voice was coming from. “Merriam!” And there to the south of her yard she could see Daniel peering over the fence that was behind some plum trees that separated the yards. As their eyes met Daniel spoke. “What are you doing?” He sounded a little repulsed in his question. “Oh nothing, just some chores and yard work- things like that.” Merriam tried her best to sound casual but it just came off as nervous and embarrassed. “I’ve never seen yard work like that before!” Merriam composed herself ready to defend her actions. “Yes well- I have my own way of doing things.”

Thursday, February 11, 2010

After that day Merriam exploded with ideas for the un-addressed clay balls. She made all kinds of animals, and creatures. Platypus, pandas, monkeys, and birds, anything that came to mind Merriam made. All were based on the same basic formula yet completely unique. She even made little people that were part flower and part person and of course more babies, snowmen and wood sprites. The days rolled by and as they did the clay rolled out and continued its multiplication and metamorphisization, and as the top of the TV cabinet filled up, Merriam would take groups of her creations to the backyard to make room for more. She hung them strategically in the trees and placed them delicately in the flowerbeds and planters. Everywhere you looked the little clay figures looked back. She had a lot to do and was busy from morning til’ late at night and some times late into the morning, but no matter what she was doing Pengulosh was there. He was a new constant companion, and as she went about her business she would tell him what she was doing, and about her ideas, sometimes just talking about things she liked, like movies and music and public television telethons. She would often sing to him and hold him in her gaze and swing around in an improved flailing dance. By no means was Merriam an accomplished dancer but she moved how she felt and she felt great.

When finally settled down at her creation station, she knew exactly what some of the clay wanted to become. She took some of the black spheres, and molded thin white layers to them. Then taking a small and large ball much the same way she had done with all of her other figures. Then taking a piece of orange molded it into a lopsided pyramid and affixed it gently in the middle of the white layer that covered part of the larger ball. Then she rendered two more pieces of orange into flattish paddles and dug grooves in them with her crochet hook. These she put where she would normally put legs on her other creatures. Lastly she pushed holes in to the white clay that surrounded the orange pyramid and finally sunk in the seed beads and it was complete. She was astounded and gasped delightedly. “ You… You are an amazing, handsome and noble bird if ever I saw one!” She had loved all of her creations but was taken over by this one. Burning into her heart and making her warm all over. Immediately she repeated the process over and over making a half dozen little penguins. “ You are all so charming I would love to put you it bowl and eat up the lot of ya. You would make a lovely Penguin Goulash.” She picked up the first of her penguin creations and for the first time in this experience she named him. “ You will be called Pengulosh!” She said in excitement. “My little morsel of joy” she picked him up between the fingertips of both hands and stared into his face. Then in a humble whispering voice she said again “Pengulosh be cool…. Be cool Pengulosh.” Un able to take her eyes off of him she continued to watch him and placed him on the edge of the tray as she lay down. And as she trailed off Pengulosh still in her eyes the words trailed smoothly past her thin lips “Be cool.”

Sunday, February 7, 2010

One morning as Merriam was taking a hand full of sprites to the backyard. As she was doing this she was mulling over what some of those spheres might become. The colors and the shapes ran through her head and the back of her eyes as her mind looked for a connection, some kind of clue as to what they should become. She walked out the side door from her kitchen and was walking toward the rusted chain link gate that was between the house and the one car garage. As she was lifting the chain that held the gate closed a small but loud voice startled her from behind. “Hello, hi!” The voice said as if it wasn’t quite sure which one of the words was proper so blurted them out one after the other just to cover the bases. Merriam turned and there was a small sandy haired boy looking through the chain link fence. She didn’t respond right away because it had been so long since anyone had talked directly to her. She wasn’t quite sure what to do, she could feel her brain referencing the subject like it was reading an instruction manual on greetings. She was staring at the small boy when he started again. “ H-e-e-e-ll-o-o!” he said this time in a mocking tone for not responding quickly enough. She got the hint and responded. “H-Hello!” She said abruptly. “ My name is Daniel. We’re moving in today. We just moved her from Montana!” He unraveled this without even a breath between words. “ Hello, Daniel. I- I’m Merriam.” She examined him as she spoke. He was wearing a blue T-shirt with a penguin printed on the front and beneath its feet it was standing on the words “be cool!” he wore jean shorts and red high top tennis shoes. Sticking his feet into the fence one at a time he pulled himself to the top of the fence and rested his arms there. “I guess you’ll be seeing a lot more of me now. Since we live next door and everything. What do you have?” He talked fast and kept Merriam on conversation edge. “ Oh, nothing.” She said, because she was feeling a little leery about sharing her children with someone she had just met. “ I like your shoes!” she said. “ Daniel!! Come eat your lunch!” a woman’s voice carried from somewhere in he yard. “Gotta go. Talk to ya later Merriam!” he said this as sprang back of the fence and ran across the yard. She then turned to the gate to go and place her sprites and woodland elves in their rightful habitat. While she did this the small conversation with the boy ran through her mind and as she placed the little creatures here and there she was muttering aloud “ be cool- be cool- be cool.”

Friday, February 5, 2010

And the clay continued to multiply again, and metamorphosize again. She purchased two more TV trays at the local department store so she had more room for her clay, and rapidly she filled them as well. She had used most of the white making snowmen and most of the fleshy pink, and brown making babies. This left a lot of clay that had not turned into anything. Clay that hadn’t yet metamorphosized only multiplied. Merriam felt a little stunted when it came to what would become of this clay but when she started feeling this way she got back to her tinkering. She would go to the yard and start her tinkering and would sometimes find things that were useful to her minions. She found a pile of acorn caps under the Scrub Oak in the back yard. These made perfect natural berets for those babies. She found that by adding things like this it changed them from babies to wood sprites and ferries, so she decided they would be happier out in the back yard. She placed them strategically here and there in the trees and small flower beds that lined the edges of her back yard. She also found twigs and rocks that if placed together in a proper fashion made furniture and walking sticks and arms for some of the less fortunate snowmen, and even a wooden leg for a baby that had lost its leg in a tragic baking accident. Life was merging together nicely. Where there was once only tinkering it had merged with the clay creation so Merriam’s creative flow was moving most of the time. Even when she made breakfast and got ready she would set her creations around her: at the table, in the window seal, around the sinks, they even stood on her bedside table waiting to talk with her as she got dressed for the day. As she went about her business she talked to them in small gentile caring voice and she would ask things like “ what would you like to do today?” or “ What should we make now?” and they would silently say “ Whatever you want Merriam, Whatever you want.” This always made her smile as she went about the usual business, sometimes now sitting down at the sofa first thing in the morning and waiting for the clay to tell her what it wanted to be.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Life Had Changed and in Merriam’s eyes it had changed for the better. Making regular trips to the craft store had now worked its way into her schedule. She still found time to look at every item on every isle, however her intent was clear. Every time she left the store she left with more and more clay. She made troops of little beady eyed babies with soft colored fleece beanies and whole colonies of snowmen until the top of her TV cabinet was almost completely covered. Oh how she loved each one and told them as she inspected her ranks. “ You are the most adorable little “ninny muggins” I have ever scene.” She had heard the term in a movie once and that movie had warmed her heart and made her laugh . This felt good and these little figures made her feel similar, so she called them her “ninny muggins”.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

After persisting through a number of her chores she finally gave up. Putting down the water pitcher that she was dowsing some geraniums with she then went inside and sat down unusually early on the sofa, and at that point the clay took over once again. She went over those spheres picking them up one by one admiring them once more. She noticed the differences between each and how some were small and some were larger. She noticed that some were distorted with a flat side from resting on the metal of the TV tray. She loved the way her fingerprints were evident here and there, evidence that she had a part in this creation. She then began to speak as if she were in her dream from the night before, walking over the processes that her hands were executing like someone counting off timing while playing the piano. The clay pinched apart and some pieces molded to form one. “ You two look like you belong together” she would say as she combined shapes. Little by little the clay changed under her care as it had in her dream, it multiplied and metamorphosized into small peculiar little creatures. She would stack larger spheres on smaller ones and work them gently until they became unified. She liked how this looked and did it over and over again until she had rows of the strange stacks of the adjoined circles. She liked the disproportion it reminded her of small children and babies. She continued with her explorations, and found new ways for the forms to evolve. By adding little pinched pieces of coils she could make arms and legs or by putting other tiny globs were the front might be she could make a noses. She made an entire lineup of snowmen, giggling delightedly as she gouged in mouths with a crochet hook, and loved how odd they looked when she punched holes in where there eyes should be. Merriam thought them a little ghastly with these vacant holes staring at her, so she found a small package of black seed beads in her cabinet in the closet. She had bought them to sew a pattern of the beads onto a blouse that her sister Elizabeth had mailed her for Christmas. The blouse seemed a bit plain for Merriam’s liking but she didn’t want to return it because gifts were few and far between and she was grateful Liz had been thoughtful enough to send it. However the beads had a new purpose and the blouse would have to wait. The beads were difficult to grasp but through persistence she managed to push them in to the holes she had punched out for the eyes. Oh she loved those faces, with their beady black eyes. They smiled and grimaced at her and she talked to them and asked them questions. Questions that she would answer for them.

Taking the ones that felt complete Merriam placed them standing in a glass pie dish. She loved the way they looked standing in their transparent arena. Placing them in the oven and through a time in the heat would freeze their personalities in fire. The joy that she felt as the figures were completed was unparalleled by anything life had offered her this far. Out of sheer excitement she picked one up and managed to praise the big headed snowman, before she realized she was being burnt. The heat from the oven was held captive by the figures and they were still warm a while later when she began picking them up and doting over their silly charming faces once again. These she took and placed on the top of the cabinet that held her TV. There they were lined up like cute soldiers, on the front lines of the battle of jellybeans and marshmallows. She stood and watched the line like it was the most entertaining show she had ever seen. “Hats!” She blurted out suddenly. “Some of you little fellas could use some hats.” talking as she walked to the closet by the door once again. “I’ll be right back.” She muttered to herself as she looked through the drawers . “ Where is that fabric? I know it’s in here somewhere. Ah-ha!! This will be perfect.” She found a number of small scraps of felt, and fleece, taking the colors that fit her purpose she went back to her station to make hats. After some experimentation she figured out a few styles that seemed to fit. Her favorite was a cone style, she also figured out a small beanie and a top hat to suit some of the more distinguished looking snowmen. Placing the hats on the little guys she began to talk to them once again. “ Well aren’t you handsome”. She said to one of the snowmen as she glued the hat on to complete his personage. She went on like this for ours, til the wee hours of the morning once again. This went on for days like this, her normal regimen had changed, and without much effort. She felt like a new, different women, reborn in some way. She made many figures and admired and adored each one, and most miraculously of all, the only one that felt lonely during the time of her rebirth was the TV, which even when it was on was ignored becoming ambient noise, a background for the scene that played out on the sofa and the decorative TV tray.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

The next morning Merriam slept in. This was some thing she hadn’t done in years. She hadn’t realized that the night had worn on so long , and it was ten before she opened her eyes. She attempted to go through the routine of her day, feeling a slight guilt like she may have over indulged the night before, so she ignored the clay and fixed breakfast. As she ate and looked out the window the things that usually held attention drifted away into the dreams of last night. She wasn’t seeing the birds, or cats of even the field she was seeing the spheres of color and the way they lived and breathed, and mulled over the night full of a life times conversations. She persisted in her routine, of bathing and getting dressed , finally ready after putting on her red shoes. She even got to her tinkering but everything was clouded with the night before.

Friday, January 29, 2010

SleepThat night Merriam’s dreams were more vivid and crisp than they had ever been, and they were full of the colored orbs. The spheres moved and danced, they multiplied and metamorphosized ( I realize this may not be a real word but it sounds good here so we’ll all have to learn to live with it.) into other shapes and figures, and she talked with them sharing deep conversations that she had always wished for, but never had.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

It was at this point that Merriam lost herself in a way that had never happened to her before. With each pinch and pull and every break, she forgot everything: who she was, where she was, and how much time had passed. The world moved away and the movement of the plastic clay had taken over. She worked each color diligently, taking in the qualities of clay as it moved; learning its capabilities. Eventually she was caught up in how perfect the spheres of clay would become if she rolled it between her palms in a specific pattern and with a certain pressure. She continued to do this with small bits of each of the colors until all of the clay was used up and lined up in perfect little spheres across the TV tray. She spoke to the spheres saying things like “ You are so perfect. I think I have seen you around the neck of a fine lady as she gracefully moved around a dance floor.” or “ What a fine group of black balls. You would fit nicely in a large musket.” She did this for an uncomfortable amount of time (uncomfortable for you and me but it was perfect for Merriam.) As she did this she would pick up the spheres between her fingers and roll them gently as she praised each one for there fine qualities of existence. As she did this her feet moved and danced as if she were a fine lady gliding across a dance floor, except her dance floor was the wood floor of her living room, and her ballroom was contained under the canopy of a decorative TV tray.Slowly Merriam became tired and she lay on her side, head resting on the arm of the sofa. She removed her glasses and, through the blurriness of her poor vision and of oncoming sleep, she stared at the colors on the tray until the inevitability of slumber won out.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

That evening Merriam sat on her sofa as usual, eating a frozen dinner of fettuccine Alfredo, and flipped through the channels. She stopped on the public television station to watch a telethon. There was something about a telethon that made Merriam feel good. All the chatter made her feel as though she had company. She listened to a gentleman tightly dressed in casual clothes as he jabbered on about a Blue grass trio. To a woman that was just as tightly dressed in her casual attire. “ For a small donation of just two hundred dollars you can keep this type of programming going. And you will also receive a copy of Dylan’s Blue Grass Trio. CD, and this colorful I love blue grass T- shirt.” Merriam wanted the t-shirt because it had a nice print on it and the CD, but had never gotten used to the idea of credit cards, and even though it was a nice shirt she would probably never wear it, so decided against it. Instead she went to the kitchen and grabbed the plastic sack that she had set on the counter when she got home from the craft store. Carrying the sack to her evening station it rustled like a small pile of leaves. Placing the sack on the sofa next to her she began removing the items one by one. Removing the yarn she placed the skeins side by side on the TV tray- and it was good. She removed the clover and placed it strategically next to the yarn, and it was good. She removed the individual packages of clay and lined them up on the tray as well- and it was good. As she appreciated the line up, thoughts of what could be made escalated. Carefully removing her shoes and placing them on the tray as well, which to her completed the arrangement . Taking the sprig of clover with some effort she broke it into two pieces. She then wedged each piece into a cranny near the front of her loafers. Admiring her handiwork for a moment, she then removed the shoes from the line up and put them back on- and it was good. Doting over the skeins of yarn, she decided that knitting tonight was out of the question , a project for a later, colder day. Getting up she went to the cote closet and placed the yarn like two newborn infants in a cabinet drawer were she kept other items of this nature.

Sitting back down at her evening station and she admired the blocks of clay touching each one with her eyes, taking in the color, and how shiny they looked in their cellophane outfits. “Red” she said in a small gentle voice. “What a nice bit of red you are” Picking up the package she turned it over and over and enjoyed the block as a whole. She even enjoyed the print on the labeling. “F-I-M-O” she read aloud, and then read the label back and front, all of the directions, all of the warnings, even the corporation details and web address. She delighted in the slight weight of it in her hand, and how the corners felt sharp due to its gift like wrapping. Then without much thought began probing for an entrance. The package was tightly bound and sealed, it proved to be quite a task to break the seal, but through persistence, and a lot of picking her nail finally caught an edge. With a snap the membrane tore open and she dismantled it in thin transparent pieces. The clay was firm and segmented. She pinched and pulled and broke it into pieces. It broke like a firm cheese and was difficult to mold, but as it warmed between her fingers in became more and more pliable. After she had done this with the red clay for a while she then impulsively did it with all of the other packages.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Merriam decided to go to the craft store. This was not out of the ordinary, she had been known to purchase her fair share of yarn, thread, plastic canvas, and cross stitch patterns. However today she was on a mission, but it was a mission not so important that it would keep her from looking at each isle and every product in the entire store. This could take most of the day and Merriam liked that.

There was so much to see and appreciate. She looked at the fabrics and dreamed of blouses in many colors, patterns, and textures. She looked at all of the yarn and selected two very nice skeins, a bright blue, and soft yellow. She would knit something for the winter. Making her way up and down every isle looking at various paper, and beads, tools and brushes. As she made her way through the fake flower isle she selected a small sprig of false clover to decorate her shoes. She continued her tour of the store and looked at each product, imagining what Merriam might do with everything she saw. Eventually finding herself on an isle that had a small display of tiny bricks of oven bake clay. For some time she found it hard to move or even think. For a prolonged period of time she became all eyeball, and could do nothing but stare. As the rest of her senses gained ground and she developed an inner dialogue once more and found herself placing bricks of the clay one by one into her small basket that was dangling from her arm by it's plastic handles. The little treasures wrapped in clear plastic went one by one into the cradle. Selecting a nice orange, and black one, a white and a brown one, she picked a vibrant blue and a soft yellow (because it matched her yarn) and finally a fleshy pink and a red because it reminded her of her shoes.

At the time of the purchase it wasn’t quite clear what she would do with the clay, but was happy enough with the way it looked as it was, so didn’t fret much over what it would or should become. If anything it would be nice to think of all of the things that could be made.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

One day she was sitting down in the afternoon, taking a tinker break. Watching her shoes and appreciating how they looked in the sunlight. That is one of great things about red shoes, they always give you something to look at. As I was saying she was appreciating her red shoes and how they looked in the sun, and how especially vibrant they looked adjacent to her green lawn. She thought to herself “ it might be nice to have a little of that green on my shoes all of the time." So Merriam decided to find a green decoration suitable for her beloved red shoes.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

So this was Merriam. Her hair was gray and face wrinkled, her hands were knotted up like a boy scout practice rope. She was slightly pudgy , she cut and styled her own hair, and for the most part did a good job. She wore glasses that swooped low on the sides before rising to the ear, and if you didn’t know better you would swear they were on upside down. They would darken when she went in to the sun. This of course protected her eyes but made her face look grumpy. She loved floral prints which most of her blouses were covered in, and though they were the type of blouse usually accompanied by a skirt Merriam only wore jeans, and like I mentioned before, the ensemble was completed with her red shoes.

Friday, January 22, 2010

She would get up as the sun was rising. Fixing a breakfast of toast, eggs and juice, she would sit at a table in the corner of the kitchen and look out the window to the east. As the sun rose higher into the sky she would watch all of the fresh movements of the day. Morning creatures creating a fluid dance that was mesmerizing, the birds as they squawked, and pecked in the dampness of the dew, cats lazily stirring as they emerged from a nights hunt like drunks stumbling home gracefully from a night of indulgence, and the long grasses in the field that adjoined her back yard waving in time like the conductor of the whole morning affair. Most days this was her favorite time. After her breakfast she would then bathe and get dressed in her usual attire. A blouse of various patterns and colors, and blue jeans, and last of all she would put on her red shoes. Red shoes were a guilty pleasure for Merriam. She felt that anyone worth anything wore red shoes. After she was prepared for the day she, would tinker. Tinker in the yard, tinker in the garage, tinker in the living room. Anywhere she could think of she would arrange, clean, fix, improve. Anything to keep her from the small sofa and the television, because when she hit the sofa and the TV was on, and her frozen dinner was warm on the decorative TV tray, she become lost in an array of programs, and commercials that would eventually lull her to sleep on the sofa, set to start all over again.

About now you may be wondering about that magic. Be patient it will come when it comes.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

There are stories of many kinds that make this world wonderful, and interesting. Some are of love, some of terror, and some are just plain silly. But no matter the subject the most intriguing have a little bit of everything. I am not claiming greatness, but this story does contain a little bit of everything.

MagicMagic can happen in a number of circumstances. Sometimes it comes from a spell, or a charm, maybe even a potion, it can also be fostered by imagination. Magic is a part of this story as well- not magic born from a wand or stirred up with bat wings and newt tails in a witches cauldron, but a magic concocted by pure sweet, madness. ( For those younger readers this type of madness does not mean angry, but crazy, cuckoo, nuts. Pardon the political back step.)

MerriamMerriam was alone as she had been most of her life. Sharing the world with one sister and a neighborhood of disinterested people: people with busy lives, and too much going and doing to bother with the other people sharing their proximity. Merriam’s sister Elizabeth lived in Kitchner, which was a town just to the west of Bullsport. Bullsport was Merriam’s home town, as it had been ever since she left Kitchner to live on her own. Elizabeth lived on her own in the home of their parents and even though she was on her own as well, she always had so many inconvenient things going on; visiting Merriam was most times out of the question.

Merriam spent most days alone, watching. Watching people come and go, move in and move out, many people moving around but no one to visit with. Now at the ripe age of seventy two, she had gotten used to things the way they were. She had retired from a manufacturing position at a local trinket company, that specialized in dollar items, such as noise makers, toys and party favors: things people would use for a night and then throw away, or hang from the mirror of their car for a short period. Retiring hadn’t changed her life much, other than it gave her one less thing to do.

Note to reader: Read this blog from oldest post to newest, that is if you want the story to make sense. That means you start from the bottom and work your way up.